Black-necked Stilts are aptly named (Audubon), with their improbably tall, stilt-like legs. In fact, they “have the second-longest legs in proportion to their bodies of any bird, exceeded only by flamingos.” (All About Birds). They forage for insects, small fish and aquatic invertebrates in shallow water, but – curiously – Black-necked Stilts rarely swim (All About Birds)! Pairs work together to build […]
Now that the baby Great Horned Owlets at our local Refuge have fledged, they are often seen perching on outlying branches, but always under the watchful eye of a parent.Just before sunset the other evening, we saw this Owlet practice flapping his huge wings .He was working so hard to get it right […]
I watched this striking Purple Gallinule preening in a low, marshy shrub one recent sunny morning. He stayed there for the longest time among the shadowy leaves, as I patiently waited for him to come out into the light.Finally, he began to clamber slowly, deliberately down the long leafy reeds. And then he did something I had never […]
The Griffon Vulture is a large and awesome bird of prey, one of the largest and the highest flying of all birds (Nature’s Song, Slifkin, p.222). It is believed by many to be the Nesher (נֶשֶׁר) of the Torah, a bird very often translated instead as Eagle. (As in the moving verse where G-d tells the […]
We just returned from an amazing 3 weeks in Israel, where we attended the Eilat Migratory Birds Festival . On the first morning, we were lucky enough to see huge flocks of migrating Storks soaring overhead.They seemed to sail along effortlessly, heading northward, taking advantage of the high, warm thermals between the mountains of Judean Desert […]
The same drizzly morning that I saw my first Smooth-billed Ani, I also photographed my first Snail Kite! These birds have been hard to find in recent years, due to the diminishing Apple Snail population.
Though I’d heard about local sightings since last year, I’d never seen the Smooth-billed Ani until a recent rainy morning. This unique-looking member of the Cuckoo family is found only in certain parts of south Florida, Central and South America, and the Caribbean (All About Birds). According to the Audubon Society website: “John James Audubon and other early naturalists failed […]
The little Green Heron is undeniably one of the most patient hunters in the wetlands.We often see Green Herons, like this one, sitting on a low branch for the longest time, just watching the water below.When he spots a tasty morsel swimming by, he stretches out his neck – his whole body, really! – and . […]
Gray Catbirds, like this handsome guy perched above, were everywhere. They are unique songbirds in that their song actually sounds more like a mewing cat – really helps in identifying them! I love this very apt description of them from All About Birds : “Catbirds are secretive but energetic, hopping and fluttering from branch to branch . . .”We […]
The smallest member of the falcon family, this handsome little American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) can be found throughout North America and much of South America (Arkive.org).Only about 9-12″ in length, the elegant but fierce little bird of prey feeds mostly on insects, small rodents and amphibians, and small birds. Yet, due to its petite size, the American Kestrel itself sometimes […]
Birder's Journey 